Inspire your child with a magical adventure in music

Published:19:40Friday 08 April 2011

A MONTAGUE or a Capulet? A Shark or a Jet?

Top chamber ensemble Chroma will retell the story of the star-crossed lovers and their feuding families in an interactive concert devised especially for children of seven and over at the Court Theatre in Tring at the end of April.

With music from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and Bernstein’s West Side Story, and performed by an impressive line up of flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, violin, cello, piano and percussion, the exhilarating musical adventure will introduce the magic of this classic love story to a young audience.

When Chroma cellist Clare O’Connell moved to Berkhamsted with her young family four years ago she started putting on concert series for children, as she wanted her own to experience and be inspired by the concerts she regularly performed for other youngsters all over the country.

The short educational concerts, held in the tiny Friend’s Meeting House in Berkhamsted, introduce four to seven year olds to classical music in a relaxed and intimate environment. And they’ve gone down a storm.

Parent Christie Tonev said: “My children were absolutely captivated from the first note that was played!

“A Chroma concert captures the imagination of each child and takes them on a magical musical journey.

The concerts are kept light, with jokes and stories, and performances are always followed by a biscuit and a drink so that the children get a chance to talk to the musicians.

Romeo And Juliet is more ambitious - playing in a much bigger venue to a potential audience of over 200 - and aimed at a slightly older age group but, the idea is the same - to make the classical programme as engaging as possible for its young audience.

So come along and join in the Mambo and if you’ve got a mask remember to bring that too, as you are about to be invited to the masked ball!

Romeo And Juliet Meets West Side Story will be at the Court Theatre, Tring on Saturday, April 30, 3pm.